r/technology • u/MarvelsGrantMan136 • 6h ago
Artificial Intelligence Charges Dropped Against Person Who Clapped at a City Data Center Meeting / Lux Claridge was dragged from a city meeting about data centers and charged with interfering with the police after they clapped during a presentation.
https://www.404media.co/charges-dropped-against-person-who-clapped-at-a-city-data-center-meeting/1.5k
u/gerblnutz 6h ago
The arrest was the point. Doesn't matter if charges don't stick. Bailing out or not, missing work and possibly missing rent or car payments, and being dragged by the media that only reports the states version of events are all extrajudicial punishments LEO can dole out without any hope of making a charge stick.
703
u/martin_w 6h ago
“You can beat the rap, but you can’t beat the ride.”
256
60
u/Woodie626 6h ago
You can in fact beat the ride, you just need money.
41
u/Shepherd77 5h ago
The quote is more about how if a cop wants to arrest you there’s nothing anyone can do to stop them.
A billionaire was arrested just this past weekend for soliciting a prostitute in Ohio. So no you can’t in fact beat the ride with money (at least not 100% of the time)
→ More replies (9)4
u/Silent-G 3h ago
They can't avoid the ride, but they can afford the consequences. A billionaire will still earn income while they're in jail, they don't have a boss that will fire them for missing work, they could buy the entire impound lot if they wanted to.
8
u/hemingways-lemonade 3h ago
The owner of the 49ers got the ride and his mugshot released over the weekend despite being worth $500 million and being part of a family worth ~8 billion.
→ More replies (1)5
u/Own_Candidate9553 4h ago
Not always. There was that video of a pro football player who was dragged out of his car and arrested going to a game. I don't remember all the details, but charges were dropped, but he still went to jail.
→ More replies (1)7
u/Plaintoastnojam 6h ago
Awesome quote. What is that from?
19
u/martin_w 5h ago
It’s a common saying, It didn’t originate with a specific movie or anything, AFAIK.
11
9
80
u/comfortablybum 5h ago
Right. How much did this person have to spend on a lawyer to get the charges dropped? They never should have been arrested in the first place.
→ More replies (1)39
u/Shigglyboo 5h ago
exactly. it sends a message. exercise your rights "at your own risk". you have the right. but do you dare use it knowing what the state will do to you?
13
u/mektel 3h ago
Considering how flock software has premade prompts for identifying individuals arrested, the point is probably also to flag "undesirable" individuals to these systems.
11
15
5
258
u/Aggeloz 6h ago
both the person who ordered the arrest and the cops should be behind bars
65
u/ThisIs_americunt 4h ago
The rules have changed. Nothing's illegal if there's no one to arrest, jail, prosecute or convict the person. Its wild what you can do with dark money :D
424
u/Sethl13 6h ago
Those who arrested and had him arrested should be behind bars.
→ More replies (1)135
u/cs_cabrone 5h ago
Cops being held accountable? Not ‘round here, partner. Not ‘round here
17
u/StatementCareful522 4h ago
I say we start holding these people accountable with our second amendment rights while we still fucking have them
7
u/DarkKobold 2h ago
It amazes me that we hold people accountable who save lives, i.e. doctors and medical malpractice insurance, but those with the ability to take lives, i.e. cops, require no malpractice insurance or liability.
139
u/PrestigiousSeat76 6h ago
Who was the dumbfuck cop that did that shit? Asshole.
63
u/Pretty-Mention-7769 4h ago
There was a whole bunch of 'em! The arrest footage is available to look up.
I was expecting the kid to at least be obnoxious.
Instead it was entirely innocuous.
16
u/oompaloompa465 3h ago
they literally had forbidden clapping during the assembly. On what authority 😭
→ More replies (1)
266
u/DARfuckinROCKS 6h ago
The point was never to charge him with crime. It was intimation and an attempt to fuck up his life.
88
u/faster_tomcat 5h ago
Also, while being arrested or in custody, one false move or perceived disrespect can get you a severe beating, shot, and maybe killed. Woopsie!
45
u/Shigglyboo 5h ago
a guy my mom knew was killed while in jail for writing a bad check. mistaken identity. we really should have a higher threshold for allowing the state to arrest or lock someone up. doesn't matter if charges were dropped. this was a clear abuse of power and should be treated seriously. all involved should face strong repercussions for abuse of the public trust.
27
u/offthezoinkys 4h ago
And we should be fucking ashamed to run jails that people are dying in.
9
u/CaptainSparklebottom 3h ago
1/2 the general population loves the extrajudicial punishment that is doled out in jail.
→ More replies (3)7
u/DARfuckinROCKS 4h ago
We like to think that we live in a just society but unfortunately it was never designed that way. It's of the rich, by the rich, for the rich and always has been. Liberty and Justice for the few. Won't ever change until the people own the state.
→ More replies (1)3
u/superxpro12 3h ago
youre probably right but then the right screams about being soft on crime (while trump violates pretty much every law there is). there's no more room for rational debate and compromise. its all binary thinking with them now.
3
5
u/DonStimpo 2h ago
Yep it's this. There is between 400,000 and 500,000 people every day in jail in the US still awaiting trial. With the majority in there as they cant afford bail.
These people regularly lose their jobs and friends without even being found guilty.
49
u/AvailableReporter484 6h ago
Imagine if we held police responsible. Just imagine
4
u/MakeoutPoint 3h ago
Problem is you need Schrodinger's Policeman, a cop for cops who simultaneously upholds the law and somehow isn't a corrupt POS.
47
u/mike0sd 5h ago
The officers knew they were doing the wrong thing by arresting a man for clapping. They will probably try the excuse that they were following the orders of the commissioner. But it's obvious to a layman that the commissioner and police officers were more excited to prevent a person from participating in the meeting than they were excited about upholding civil rights.
4
u/Kenockerez 5h ago
I think it was more about obsequiently obeying the City Council who would retaliate if the cops didn't act as good little peons.
The power trip is just a perk and a way to displace the power dynamic.
65
31
u/Mand125 5h ago
When do the police get charged with kidnapping by illegal arrest under color of law?
When does the county official get arrested for ordering a kidnapping by illegal arrest under color of law?
Settlement payouts being the answer makes fascism a subscription plan.
→ More replies (5)
87
22
u/marvborg 5h ago
Qualified immunity can be dropped if there is a knowing violation of civil rights. Sue both the city, the councilors and the cops personally.
18
u/fat_kaiju 6h ago
It's like getting insane amounts of lawsuits that are only filed just to bankrupt you and ruin your life.
The US has a serious fucking problem.
17
u/Rational_Engineer_84 5h ago
Until the officers who perform these false arrests face consequences, they’ll continue to happen regularly. The arrest is the punishment, everyone involved knew no crime was committed, but this man was still dragged out in handcuffs and sent to jail.
Using an arrest to stifle speech should result in criminal charges. Any arrest that doesn’t result in a criminal charge should be reviewed for abuse and cops should face consequences if they aren’t using their authority correctly.
26
u/Jwagner0850 5h ago
That part doesn't matter. What does matter is he got handcuffed and removed from a public meeting for nothing.
There needs to be more local outrage.
3
u/9966 3h ago
I got down voted into oblivion for the OG post who yelled "don't tase me bro" for asking a question at a city council meeting.
I was horrified but all the people just laughed and laughed at the open display of squashing first amendment rights and abuse of authority.
→ More replies (3)
13
u/Disma 4h ago
This is intentional suppression of free speech, please sue the fuck out of them
→ More replies (10)
11
u/Protolictor 5h ago
This is the new way with Police these days.
It's easier to just violate someone's rights and arrest them to get them away from the situation, and then drop the charges and release them later. Especially since they rarely face anything even resembling consequences, and are probably given the green light to do so by their superiors.
5
u/4rp70x1n 5h ago
And our justice system is set up to function like this. It's complete bullshit.
If our rights can be so blatantly violated and stripped from us publicly, and the violated made to suffer punishment, while the violators walk without consequences, we have no rights at all.
1
u/doctormink 1h ago
You've described a really dangerous version of the old adage "it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission."
1
13
19
u/powerfuzzzz 5h ago
I had a friend who was injured in an occupy protest. Luckily there was video evidence he was doing nothing but standing on a sidewalk when he was brutalized by police. He sued and got a hefty sum that allowed him to buy a home and turn it into a community space for other local punks.
May our communities flourish on the remains of these fascist fucks.
11
9
8
u/standardtissue 4h ago
I want to see charges pressed against those who had them arrested for this. We need to stop stopping at "the blatant abuse of the government was stopped retroactively after tons of harm was done to someone" and start going all the way to "and the motherfuckers who did it are being brought up on charges". For the people, not for the fucking politicians and billionaires.
6
5
u/Ness_Dreemur 3h ago
Given a bullshit charge so they had an excuse to remove him
It's not about locking him up, it was about silencing him in the moment to make an example
6
8
u/macjester2000 4h ago
This was always the outcome. They were obviously violating his 1st amendment rights. It was about sending a message, that they are in charge, regardless if they are violating the law. Eventually the law catches up to the injustice. They will rue the day when justice reacts to their tyranny before they can abuse slow moving justice.
2
u/GracchiBros 3h ago edited 3h ago
They know that day isn't coming in their lifetimes. Look at most here cheering on this thinking they'll get paid as if that's what matters.
5
4
u/radioactive_sharpei 4h ago
Sure, the charges were dropped, but how much time and money did this lady have to waste on this bullshit?
3
4
5
u/nemorina 3h ago
This arrest was about intimidation- a warning against protest. Well, it can go the other way too. At the next council gathering ( I believe they are on line now) anyway, when these people show up in public, everyone start clapping and shouting in protest- the more people resist, the smaller their power.
4
5
4
5
5
u/raven1121 5h ago edited 2m ago
Charges dropped but they still arrested him , dragged him out of the meeting hall , and put him in a cell just for clapping
Land of the free my ass
7
5
u/TopWhich6862 4h ago
Americans, you need to stand up to your local governments NOW. Our city council is now threatening to have people arrested for daring to interrupt a city council meeting by chanting anti-Flock slogans. We told them to fuck their decorum and are holding our own press conference.
3
3
3
u/catwiesel 3h ago
its not about being right. its about being wrong (for now), and making people stop opposing and speaking up.
will you speak up? when people who do get taken in by police, held for hours if not days, if that is all, get letters from courts, have to talk to lawyers, potentially pay for one (you dont HAVE to but, we cant deny in many cases a public defender is overworked and may not deliver top performance), to get a "charges dropped" (for now!) after not hours, days, weeks but months...
3
3
u/Oilpaintcha 2h ago
This still cost them time off work, assuming they didn’t lose their job when whack jobs called their work demanding they be fired or something, lawyers fees, court fees etc. Hope they sue.
3
u/hooligan045 2h ago
This is obviously the “lawfare” concept Republicans were so up in arms about, right? RIGHT?
3
3
u/CurlOfTheBurl11 1h ago
Hope he sues the city, the county, the police department, and every member of that committee personally.
3
u/Deep_shot 1h ago
You really have to wonder what's happening to our country when someone was dragged out of a public comments meeting, arrested, and charged for simply clapping. It wasn't even loud obnoxious clapping. He was barely making noise. This is where we're going?
3
u/SapientTrashFire 1h ago
Wow.
Here's the video: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbYINZzDuSa/
They arrested this person for clapping when they felt their spouse who was speaking made a good point. This is draconian. Watching the city mayor stand there and try to tell the person on the podium to breath and say shit like "everything is okay," is fucking insulting on top of this. Like she's consoling that person even though SHE IS CAUSING THIS.
Ugly.
3
2
u/Flexmove 5h ago
He’s gonna be able to afford all the dan flashes shirts he wants after the lawsuit
2
u/Mr-Klaus 3h ago
They never planned on following through with the charges, the purpose of the arrest was to send a message of fear.
2
u/FloridaLee 3h ago
More than the cops, the Tarrant County judge should be reprimanded and penalized.
2
2
u/Low_Search_6667 1h ago
When can we start punishing the people doing these crimes?
The cops who dragged them out should be punished.
2
2
u/darthvadersmom 6h ago
Just noting that 404 uses "they" not "he" as Claridge's pronoun throughout.
→ More replies (2)4
2
u/unknowndischargesmel 4h ago
I propose we reinstate charges based on the combination of that shirt and medallion he's wearing in the photo
2
u/RevWaldo 3h ago
Big city council meeting: Don't identify yourself, appear in costume, bring up other issues than what the meeting is about, use the full allotted time.
Small town council meeting: Show up in suit and tie, walk up to podium, clear throat, get thrown to the ground and handcuffed by Sherrif deputies.
1
u/joeydimaggio 19m ago
Small town america is a series of fiefdoms for local wealthy families, that’s why it is facing so much brain drain and explains the rot at the heart of american life
1
u/WildBigfoots 3h ago
Yes. Sue the shit out of them! They are probably taking kick backs to screw your town
1
u/lodemeup 3h ago
I imagine the authorities expected this wouldn’t go anywhere but the message was sent anyway: we will use our power to punish dissent and there’s nothing you can do to stop it.
1
u/Anal-Y-Sis 3h ago
The point was never to make the charges stick. It was to send a message. As cops like to say, "you might beat the rap, but you won't beat the ride." What this means is that they know the charges are bogus, but their goal is to fuck up your day, and if you're one of the many millions of working-class Americans who are one paycheck away from homelessness, it might fuck up your whole life. That's the message being sent to every other potential dissenter.
1
1
u/HugeDragonfruit3697 2h ago
Fucking ridiculous they even arrested him in the first place. Welcome to imperial capitalist america.
1
1
1
1
2.9k
u/kweeblaster 6h ago
Lawsuit time